Without Armor
by Razrantha
Summary: KH1. Captured by Ansem and trapped as the unknowing bait to lure a god, can Cloud hang on to his sanity? And can he sort out his feelings for both his captor and former lover? And what of Ansem's growing lust?
1. First Chapter

Title: Without Armor  
Author: Kalloway  
Part: 1 of ?  
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters and Squenix doesn't seem to want to lease them out to me either. That said, no profit is being made and no lawsuits are expected.  
Warnings: None  
Rating: PG  
Summary: Another KH Fic. What has the world come to!  
Pairing: None yet.  
  
-----  
  
Without Armor...  
  
With Sora out of the way, Ansem had all of the pieces in place - except for one. As much as he was unwilling to admit it, he was nowhere near as powerful as he wanted, no, needed to be.  
  
He did have a solution in mind though, one that would supply him with more than enough energy to reach his goals. All he needed to do was catch himself a god.  
  
Maleficent disagreed with him when he insisted he needed to bring another person to Hollow Bastion. But it wasn't as if she ran the show. She was a lackey, whether she believed it or not. She was no match for him anyway. It was just that she did such a good job keeping the others in line or else he would have killed her on the spot. That or sent her off into the black void in which he hoped to have Sora trapped for a few months longer. Until he could get what he needed.  
  
Instead of sending an underling in his place, Ansem went to the land of the gods himself.  
  
=================  
  
There was, of course, a slight flaw in his plan. The more Ansem insisted that he required a one of Hades' contracted minions, the more Hades figured he had prime property that shouldn't be given up so easily.  
  
But, after some stealthy negotiation and a promise of a legion of strong, powerful heartless for the Coliseum, Ansem collected a very unconscious blond warrior and headed back to his domain.  
  
=================  
  
Opening his eyes, Cloud puzzled as to why his vision was a bit blurry and why his head hurt so badly. A moment later he realized he should know the answer by now. He'd been knocked out so many times in his life that coming to in a completely different situation shouldn't have been so shocking.  
  
Still, instead of a dungeon or worse, he was laying rather comfortably on a wide, soft bed.  
  
Cloud sat up, checking out his surroundings. Wherever he was, it wasn't the Coliseum.  
  
"What the...?" he said to himself, raising a hand to his head to check for lumps or blood. Blinking again, he found himself to be without any of his armor. Thankfully he was still dressed. Closing his eyes, Cloud fought off a vivid flashback of another time, another place.  
  
He had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, and it wasn't just the slow burning hunger tugging at the edge of his mind.  
  
He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood. A wave of dizziness passed over him, causing him to stumble at first, but he finally made his way to the door of the elaborate room. Hopefully whatever lay beyond would offer some explanation for his position.  
  
The hallway beyond didn't lend much of a clue as to his whereabouts. Each direction looked the same, dark and deserted.  
  
"Up so soon?"  
  
Cloud spun around, not sure how he was going to defend himself. He wasn't much of a brawler, despite his friend Tifa attempting to teach him more than once. He struck out at where the voice had come from, not expecting his fist to be caught in a ball of black energy.  
  
Mages were tricky, Cloud knew, having spent a reasonable amount of his life around them. But they had weaknesses. And he didn't have to find those weaknesses right away. In fact, he was rather sure he wanted to know just what was going on.  
  
"Where are we?"  
  
"My home," the voice behind the energy said. Cloud pulled his fist back and the energy vanished.  
  
Blinking, Cloud thought for a moment that it was Sephiroth who stood there. But after coming to his senses, he saw more differences than similarities. The man's skin was darker, his hair just a bit lighter. And his eyes were a captivating orange-red.  
  
"You brought me here? Why?"  
  
"Were you really enjoying the Coliseum that much, Mr. Strife?" the man asked, smiling a rather sinister smile.  
  
Cloud didn't answer. He wasn't about to volunteer any information until he knew what was going on. He wasn't even sure if he was a prisoner or not. Most of his captive experiences had involved being, well, more captive.  
  
"In this place, whatever you desire will be yours," the man said a moment later, raising an eyebrow at Cloud's silence.  
  
"I desire to know what's going on," Cloud replied flatly. Surely it wasn't such a difficult request.  
  
"You are now a resident here," the man explained. "I bought out your contract at the Coliseum."  
  
Cloud was confused as to why anyone would do that. Unless he was to become some sort of assassin here, Cloud was unsure of any purpose he could serve.  
  
"Am I to serve you?" he asked finally, bracing himself for what seemed like the obvious answer.  
  
"You are to be a guest in this realm," the man said, smiling after he spoke. The look in his eyes frightened Cloud ever so slightly. It was the look of a man standing at the edge of sanity.  
  
"A guest?" Already, something was screaming foul in Cloud's mind. Yet he also knew that there was little chance his host would be willing to spell out the plan. He didn't seem to be in any danger. Apparently the only way to find out the real story was to wait for it to show itself.  
  
"As I asked before, Mr. Strife, were you really enjoying the Coliseum?"  
  
Cloud narrowed his eyes for a moment before answering. "I thought it could help me."  
  
"I can help you," Ansem replied. "Whatever you desire, I can get it for you."  
  
And that was the moment Cloud realized that yes, he was very much in over his head in something he really didn't want to understand.


	2. Second Chapter

Title: Without Armor Author: Kalloway Email: Part: 2?  
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters and Squenix doesn't seem to want to lease them out to me either. That said, no profit is being made and no lawsuits are expected.  
Warnings: None Rating: PG?  
Summary: Another KH Fic. What has the world come to!  
Pairing: None yet.  
  
-----  
  
Cloud found himself alone again, soon enough. The castle was all but uninhabited, save for some creepy dead women he was informed that he was not to touch.  
  
At least, Cloud told himself, they had heads.  
  
Up on a balcony, the sun was shining fiercely bright. There was plenty of space, and Cloud happily launched into a workout he knew would distract him for hours.  
  
What he wanted was to be infinitely more adept with certain things than he found himself being. His magic was in a rather sorry state, he noted as flames died at his fingertips for the sixth time in a row. And while his limit-break like attacks were strong, there was something lacking in his technique. He could somehow feel his flaws, but not pinpoint them.  
  
He wished for advice, for a spotter or some old ally who could instantly see what he knew himself to be missing.  
  
He wanted Zack with him, holding the blade with him, guiding his movements - an awful feeling in the pit of his stomach warned that too much of his own unique technique left flaws open. Zack was always so good about those things. And Sephiroth, though he seemed to be nothing more than a memory Cloud did not want to conjure up.  
  
Finally Cloud slid down to his knees, slowly catching his breath. The expanse of sheer space stretched as far as he could see, the faint trails of a world falling off to a blissful, content-looking nothingness.  
  
A tiny bit of envy burned in Cloud - he never had figured out just why he was the one who had been spared when so many others had been lost. He was nothing special. He was... hungry.  
  
It was a silly revelation, but his stomach didn't find it so trivial. Cloud made his way down to the large kitchen, happy to find a reasonable amount of food in it. His cooking skills weren't exactly amongst the most honed, but he could keep himself alive without turning too many things to burnt ashes.  
  
There was only so much Cloud could find to do around the castle. Once he had the maze of flickering elevators and transports figured out, things became downright dull. Even getting as lost as he possibly could, it didn't take long to find his exact location and make his way to another point sadly also not lost.  
  
He had never been the most voracious reader, but more and more the expansive library called to him, beckoning him in with mind-expanding works about any subject imaginable.  
  
Cloud now knew more about earthworms than he had ever wanted to. And the art of trebuchet construction. Part of him actually wanted to build a trebuchet, but he really couldn't think of any reason to do it besides actually doing it. He'd become much too practical over the years, thinking back to a time when he did what he could for survival, ignoring anything extraneous.  
  
There were few chairs in the library, and not a one was comfortable. Without his armor, though, Cloud could easily sink to the floor and lean against a pillar as he read, legs stretched out in front of him. More than once he'd fallen asleep in that position, only to be woken some time later by Ansem.  
  
Time was becoming nonexistant. Cloud had not bothered to mark the days, but he was sure weeks had passed since his still-somewhat inexplicable arrival in Hollow Bastion.  
  
Ansem seemed uninclined to reveal whatever he was scheming, so Cloud contented himself just to pry for any information he could.  
  
It wasn't exactly an easy task - Ansem did not make himself an easy man to approach. Most of their encounters thus far had been instigated by Ansem, for Ansem's benefit. It grew frustrating. Cloud was really starting to wonder if the dead women upstairs would be a better source of conversation.  
  
The more he thought about Ansem, the more captivating the man became. Ansem wasn't a bad host - Cloud certainly never wanted for anything except perhaps a little entertainment.  
  
Stretching, Cloud wandered around the upper level of the library for a moment, double-checking for any hidden switches he had missed previously. The entire room was a beautiful maze, though even that got old after a couple days of figuring out exactly what the handful of configurations truly were.  
  
From the balcony, Cloud could see Ansem working on something at a desk below. The volumes he had spread before him were dusty and old and in a language Cloud could not read.  
  
More than anything, Cloud wanted to know the why of his situation. He couldn't quite bring himself to believe that his bizarre extraction from the Coliseum had been a random act of kindness. Ansem didn't seem the sort.  
  
It was about that moment that Cloud realized he too was being watched. Piercing orange eyes that seemed to have an etheral fire behind them were surveying him in quite the penetrating manner. Cloud couldn't help a slight blush before returning the gaze.  
  
And then, turning, Cloud decided he'd had quite enough of the library for one day. The overwhelming feeling that he'd stumbled into something he shouldn't have shot through his body and he couldn't help but feel slightly ashamed. As much as boredom was bound to drive him crazy, he had no reason to go spying about on his benefactor just yet.  
  
But the thought was very tempting, of course. Cloud knew that he knew the library painfully well and could at least attempt to locate the books that Ansem had selected. Whatever was in them had to be important. And it might, Cloud decided, possibly explain just what was going on.  
  
Making his way to the lift, Cloud selected his next destination carefully. Those dead women in the upstairs hall had to be some significant piece of the puzzle.  
  
As Cloud crept closer to what he thought of as the Hall of Deadwomen, he could swear he heard voices. Or at least a voice.  
  
Whatever was going on, he suddenly realized that perhaps his adventuring days were not entirely over. 


	3. Third Chapter

Title: Without Armor  
Author: Kalloway  
Email: kalloway at gmail dot com  
Part: 3 of ?  
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters and Squenix doesn't seem to want to lease them out to me either. That said, no profit is being made and no lawsuits are expected.  
Warnings: None  
Rating: M  
Summary: Another KH Fic. What has the world come to!  
Pairing: None... yet. 

3 ...

Somehow, in some way, something very strange had happened. It had nothing to do with the Deadwomen though. Those had been given up on after a very unpleasant run in with the master of the castle.

And that's where the general strangeness had begun. Instead of the usual sort of annoyance Cloud thought he should be feeling upon being caught and verbally chewed out for his curious wanderings, Cloud instead felt a deep disappointment. He did not want to fail Ansem in any way. In fact, he found himself realizing that he longed for Ansem's approval.

There was something very strange about that, but lacking any thing else to follow up on, Cloud wandered back to his room. The castle was a bit boring all of the time and sleeping was one of few things that effectively killed time.

Sleeping, however, quickly became the problem.

Cloud woke from yet another dream, sweat drenching his body and his mind racing. Looking wide-eyed up into the darkness of his very silent, very empty room, he gasped for his breath and then quickly shook his head, hoping to chase away the images from his mind.

But they would not go, intent on tormenting him in his dreams and even more frequently during the day. Every time he would steal a glance at Ansem, his mind would bound back to the dreams, playing them through as he wondered how real they were, if Ansem would repsond just like the dreams, if Ansem really looked so perfect when...

Cloud knew he was prone to obsessive fixations. The last one had turned into a painful, broken love but it had been intense nonetheless. In the boredom of the castle, Cloud yearned for something, even if it was for something so horrible as being claimed by his benefactor in repayment for so many things.

Somehow, wanting it so badly made him nearly sick to his stomach, somehting that only confused him more. And every time Cloud was even confronted by Ansem for something so small as tea or a question about clothing, Cloud would picture his dream-Ansem sweat-drenched and seconds from orgasm.

It wasn't healthy.

Neither was Cloud's current problem, which seemed to be his very demanding and impatient erection. Alertness had rather unfortunitely forced itself upon him just moments before what would have hopefully been the climax of his dream and a nice orgasm in his sleep. But no, he was not so lucky to get to share his passion with even a dream partner.

Reaching under the blankets, Cloud couldn't help feel a bit ashamed at what he was doing. Ansem. All he could think about was Ansem, naked, dark skin contrasting soft sheets and his own skin as... Damn he felt like he was back in training, having to sneak off to relieve himself because he'd caught a glimpse of his idol.

This was no way to live.

His own sweat was enough of a lubricant and his body didn't really want to draw things out too far anyway. Making a tunnel of his hands, he just went for it, stroking roughly and quickly, seeking the release he desired. He couldn't bring himself to imagine even Ansem's mouth on his arousal. No, this was now between his cock and his hands, racing to release the spiraling tension that was binding inside his body.

Sucking in the cool air from the still of the room, Cloud squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to have any thoughts at all as the world was replaced by the shimmering white stars of orgasm.

Later in the morning, when the sun had finally decided to rise over the castle, Cloud sat in the library again, absolutely not paying a bit of attention to the text on angels he'd discovered to instead watch as Ansem frantically flipped through a thick volume, muttering something too soft for Cloud to hear.

Ever since the Deadwomen incident, Cloud had really taken to not wandering much or asking many questions. Really, he didn't want to know. He'd spent too many years as an adventurer, a knowledge-seeker. Part of why he'd signed on at the Coliseum was for a change, for a chance to just exist and earn his keep.

Now he wasn't even earning his keep, invited to stay in such an elegant place but routinely ignored anyway.

Unable to just sit there any longer, Cloud rose and left, walking down to the main hallway of the castle on his way down lower to where he could gaze into the water and wonder if he wasn't fading away himself, just like the edges of the world.

However, he didn't make it that far, finding himself instead face to face with what he accidently first thought was a face from the past. But instead it was simply a boy, a boy who looked too much like one long dead.

"Who are you?" the boy asked, looking somewhat unsure.

"My name's Cloud," Cloud said. "I'm a guest of Lord Ansem."

"So am I," the boy replied. "I'm Riku. Where is Ansem? And where are you going?"

"Upstairs and downstairs," Cloud said quickly, turning to go. Not looking back, Cloud didn't see the silver-haired youth linger for a few moments before heading to the staircase.

The water beneath the castle was something Cloud found interesting - something that should be wet but wasn't. Instead it just felt thick and though Cloud didn't understand it, he could breathe while submersed in it. Whatever magics ruled that world, they were strong.

Poking his way through the ornate sewerways, Cloud attempted to get himself trapped but couldn't even manage to do that correctly. So much for attempting to live through the thrill of needing to escape.

And as the day grew longer, the darkening space beneath the castle grew to be filled with heartless who seemed just as bored as Cloud did.

One of the last things Cloud was expecting when he grabbed the lift back up to the entranceway was for Anesm to be waiting at the lift-stop, orange eyes focused solely on Cloud.

"Come," Ansem said, gesturing for Cloud to step closer.

And lacking any of the hesitation that would have stopped him even days before, Cloud obeyed.


	4. Fourth Chapter

Title: Without Armor   
Author: Kalloway Part: 4 of ?  
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters and Squenix doesn't seem to want to lease them out to me either. That said, no profit is being made and no lawsuits are expected.  
Rating: M   
Summary: Another KH Fic. What has the world come to!  
Pairing: Ansem/Cloud, implied Sephiroth/Cloud   
- - 

"He's looking," Riku had said. "But he can't pinpoint exactly where. He needs something more... solid. A rush of emotion - a wave."

And Ansem had dismissed Riku at that point, quite sure what came next. Though he already knew he had failed to guess the exact nature of the blond's relationship with the god correctly, there were still plenty of ways to put that necessary wave out there.

And all of them boiled down to two categories: Pain. And Pleasure.

- -

Cloud wasn't terribly hard to find. He moved in patterns each day, or, more correctly, did the same things each day but not always in the same order. Cloud probably didn't realize any of that, either, which amused Ansem a little more each time he looked up in the library and caught Cloud looking back at him, surprised that his presence was even noticed.

But Ansem did keep careful track of Cloud. His heartless were always around, always watching for him, reporting back.

Waiting at the entranceway, Ansem hoped that what his heartless had told him was true. That would open up the possibility for the second option as opposed to the first. While he couldn't let himself think of Cloud as at all harmless, he certainly couldn't resign himself to the idea of torturing the man until his protecting god arrived.

He could hear the crackle of the lift moving below, and he stood in silence, waiting for the exact moment when Cloud would realize he was being watched.

There was a split-second of connection at that moment, eyes locking before Cloud appeared to become totally unnerved. Perfect.

"Come," Ansem said, gesturing for Cloud to follow him back into the castle. And not surprisingly, Cloud did follow, not speaking until they were on a lift that Cloud certainly shouldn't have known about.

"This goes to your quarters, doesn't it," Cloud asked, his voice suddenly filled with a nervousness that made Ansem want to momentarily question what his heartless had told him. But they weren't quite sentient enough to lie, after all, and certainly not about the blond whimpering his name while masturbating.

"You've found this lift?" Ansem asked, a little perturbed that he didn't know that tiny fact. He was supposed to have eyes everywhere in the castle after all, including following Cloud's movements.

Ansem hadn't wanted to miss the arrival of his very special guest, after all. And wherever Cloud was, that's where Ansem would catch his god.

"I... I've explored," Cloud admitted. "And I know that others live here. I just haven't been able to see them."

"Others come here, yes, but I wouldn't consider them more than temporary guests," Ansem corrected, reaching to trace a line down Cloud's cheek with his gloved hand.

Cloud didn't back away at the touch, but he did dart his eyes upward, his face a mixture of confusion and lust.

Ansem didn't think it really mattered just why he was taking the blond to his bed, just that he was and would hopefully pull the proper emotion from Cloud and let Cloud send it out, sort of like a homing beacon, he assumed. Cloud and the god were connected after all.

At one point, Ansem had just considered having Riku just tell the god where Cloud was. But there were too many unpredictable elements in that plan. No, Ansem knew he had to be ready and waiting, able to spring his trap on his own terms.

"Come," Ansem said again as the lift stopped and released the barrier that held them trapped together. "My door is no longer locked to you."

Cloud looked almost like he wanted to question the invitation but then apparently thought better of it.

Almost a little shocked at himself, Ansem had his hands on Cloud's clothing just seconds after closing the door to his room, listening to the latch click loudly in the thick silence between them. He was thankful he'd taken Cloud's armor and locked it away, not because it was no longer necessary, just because Cloud looked so much better without armor. Without anything, really, tanned skin no longer as dark as it had been when he arrived, making the blush that threatened him so much more amusing. Ansem pulled off his jacket, wondering if Cloud was always so responsive. He'd barely touched Cloud save for undoing the catches of his clothing and yet the blond was very obviously aroused.

Or had boredom really just broken him, leaving his desperate for anything?

Somehow, in a rush of movement that felt more imagined than anything, Ansem had Cloud on the bed, his own body holding Cloud's down as their mouths met in a kiss that climbed from awkward to overwhelming in just seconds. And while he knew they were only each doing this for reasons completely selfish, Ansem couldn't help but want to make everything as... pleasurable as possible. After all, Cloud's pleasure now would be his later.

He'd remembered oil, despite not having touched another body in this manner for quite some time, and he was not at all surprised that Cloud was no stranger to this exact act. Ansem hadn't been expecting Cloud's hands on his body, though, exploring and guiding between gasps for breath as Ansem slowly spread lube in Cloud's body.

"Please..." Cloud's voice died off into a moan as Ansem slipped fingers free, not at all wanting to do anything to risk the moment. If Cloud wanted more, he'd get more.

Yes, this was all going according to plan. This was...

Surprised at the feel of Cloud's body reacting against his own, shuddering as he thrust into Cloud's giving body, Ansem stopped worrying about the plan for the moment. Cloud was grasping at his own arousal, guiding Ansem's hand in rough strokes over it, nearly mewling Ansem's name.

He hadn't expected this. Ansem had not expected this.

Cloud's orgasm came in a burst, a cry and semen coating his hand and Cloud's stomach in hot bursts that left the blond's body shivering around his own, making him want to abandon what had merely been an arousing rhythm and pound into Cloud, forgetting the plan for more than a moment to chase his own release.

Cloud was still crying out beneath him, apparently not sated by his own release but instead watching, waiting for the act to be shared.

Yes, hopefully this would be enough, Ansem thought as he gave over to his own climax, wondering how he couldn't be hurting the blond with his deep thrusts. It would have to be enough. And the god would come.

He would be able to spring his trap.

Of course, he hadn't expected to become trapped himself.


	5. Fifth Chapter

Title: Without Armor   
Author: Kalloway   
Part: 5 of 10?  
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters and Squenix doesn't seem to want to lease them out to me either. That said, no profit is being made and no lawsuits are expected.  
Warnings: Yaoi, of course. Mindfuckery and such.  
Rating: M   
Summary: Another KH Fic. What has the world come to!  
Pairing: Ansem/Cloud  
°°° 

Ansem sat back, glancing upwards from where he sat in the library to see Cloud still watching him. Not so subtly this time. Not since the previous day...

Looking back to the book he'd been translating out of a language very much not his and hoping to perhaps glean some fragment of knowledge of darkness from, Ansem knew that taking the young warrior into his bed had been a mistake. But one that was necessary - one that was still necessary. The god... The blond's personally protective god with the power to transcend even death to be with him - that was the power that Ansem craved.

Where was the god? Why did he not come and be trapped, wanting to save that which was his? He couldn't possibly have decided to give up his prize after so many years. Ansem had done his research - he knew how tightly bound the pair were. He may not have had every detail right, but after being pulled to physical exhaustion by Cloud's very willing body after combined encounters lasted well into the night, Ansem really thought he'd gotten the gist.

All he could do was wait - Sora's party was still quite trapped in a maze of worlds that felt as though they took minutes to walk through but actually took weeks. Some things were easy to manipulate. But Cloud...

Looking up again, Ansem wasn't at all surprised to see that Cloud had vanished from his perch on the high railing, appearing again halfway across the room, sprawled on the top of a bookcase.

Still returning his gaze...

Knowing that he'd already gotten too deeply into the tangled web he'd woven in search of power, Ansem reached up and gestured for Cloud to come to him.

Cloud obeyed, perfectly, landing on one knee with his head down as though he was a knight returning to his lord.

"Would you like tea?" Ansem asked, curious about the almost-hurt frown that crossed Cloud's face. What was he supposed to do - reach to undo his pants and spend the rest of the day in a sweat-drenched embrace?

No - with luck, Cloud had already sent waves out like a homing beacon. Ansem knew he had to be ready now, no matter how tempting a trivial physical encounter threatened to be.

"Yes," Cloud replied softly. "But..."

"I am not displeased with you," Ansem said quickly as he strode towards the library door. Tea was a simple task; distracting. "On the contrary, I am very pleased. I regret that you've exhausted the allowable possibilities for this castle, however."

"Then..." Cloud's boot were loud on the stone as he ran to catch up in the hallway.

"I believe you've already met Riku," Ansem said. The lift started on its own, jumping a bit and causing Cloud to grab at one of the force-bars. "He will be a suitable sparring partner for you."

"Lord Ansem..."

Ansem wasn't entirely sure how he was supposed to react to Cloud's mouth against his, initiating contact that crept lower to where Cloud's hands wound around his waist.

The kiss wasn't bad, broken only when the lift stopped with a jarring bump.

Frowning, Ansem looked upward at the control for the lift, unsure if it would be better to curse it or bless it. He hadn't wanted this from Cloud. He had just wanted to use the blond and throw him back once the god was safely captured.

In the end, really, Ansem almost liked the idea of leaving them together - weak, but together.

Which is what made it so frustrating when Cloud slid out of the kitchen after not saying more than a handful of words, a cold and half-finished cup of tea the only reminder that he'd ever been there at all.

He could have had Cloud's heart at any time - that wasn't what interested him. No, Cloud was simply bait and it would be pointless to destroy him. If he hadn't already, that was.

Ansem couldn't help a smirk as a few of his heartless gathered around him, seemingly curious about just what their master was thinking. They knew not to hurt the blond that prowled around and occassionally threw a sword in their direction. They didn't seem to possess the intellegence to figure out just why certain people in the castle were allowed to keep their hearts, but if their master said so, that was enough.

Yes, Ansem found himself wondering if trying to take Cloud's heart would be the last little bit of pull that was necessary. The god would come - Ansem was sure of that.

The god would come.

But the moment Ansem wanted still needed to be timed. If the previous night hadn't been enough for the god to find his possession and come crashing into the castle to be snared in a powerful spell, Ansem was positive that he couldn't just rush in and throw the blond down.

No, he didn't want Cloud's heart. He wanted the struggle. He wanted fear.

Unless... Walking to the lift that would take him up to the high balconies, Ansem suddenly had another though - the sort that was more than a little disconcerting. What if the god had stopped caring? What if the god could live without Cloud?

What if... What if his prized Sephiroth did not come? What if Cloud was his now; his to keep?

Riku would come again, the next day, with news. Riku would give him an answer. All he had to do was bide a bit of time until then.

And only when he retired to his chambers did Ansem think again of just how many things had started to go wrong - naked and only half-covered by blankets, Cloud had returned to share his bed.

Memories - vivid intense snapshots of images and sensation from the day before danced into Ansem's head, trapping them in a spell of their own.

So this time, unlike earlier in the afternoon, his restraint crumbled. He reached to undo his pants.

°°°  
Note: KH1 Fic. Ah, how I adore thee. More soon.


	6. Sixth Chapter

Title: Without Armor  
Author: Kalloway  
Part: 6/10  
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters and Squenix doesn't seem to want to lease them out to me either. That said, no profit is being made and no lawsuits are expected.

—= 6 =—

Wanting to laugh, Cloud offered his hand down to the silver-haired teen, wondering if the youth would even take it. He did, thankfully, brushing himself off and frowning.

"You aren't that strong," he muttered, smoothing the already skin-tight lines of his outfit.

"And you... Darkness?" Cloud asked, strolling over to grab Riku's blade from where it had bounced and landed, just at the edge of the tiny floating island where they'd decided to spar. Both were half-soaked from falling into the pool of stagnant but clear water numerous times, but so far neither had truly lost and been pushed over the edge to fall into the breathable water below.

"You too," Riku replied as he accepted his blade back and smirked. "You... have something I desire. Him."

"Ansem?" Cloud asked, confused for a moment. Certainly he was the one had, not the other way around. And besides, he couldn't explain his actions - not why he longed to be in Ansem's bed.

Unless it was just the power of the man's darkness slowly seducing him. If it wasn't real.

Cloud didn't want to think about it.

"I'm always unwanted," Riku began, taking up his fighting stance before Cloud could even draw his sword. He had to dodge quickly to avoid being hit, swinging wildly at Riku but not connecting.

"Do you have any idea what that's like?" Riku continued. He turned, thrusting his blade at Cloud. Cloud wanted armor. Something. Anything. "For years I desired one thing only to be ignored and passed over."

"Riku..." This was not a friendly spar any more. Their battle had become real.

"The darkness... Ansem gave me another chance. I thought they actually wanted me for who I am, not the power I could have had," Riku screamed, off balance and not at all paying attention as he lunged at the blond. "I'm just being used. You're just being used."

Cloud froze, not bothering to block as Riku came flying at him. At the last minute he held an arm out to block, but it was too late.

Too close to the edge and with nothing to stop the momentum behind Riku's words and actions, together they fell.

The breathable water was not entirely wet - something that Cloud never bothered to ponder too thoroughly. He clutched at Riku, not entirely surprised that the fall had apparently knocked the wind out of the teen.

Heaving Riku up onto his shoulder, Cloud ascended to the open air quickly and set Riku down. Riku blinked once, gasping for breath and trying to sit up until Cloud forced him flat on his back.

"Breathe," Cloud instructed, wondering just why Riku's aqua eyes were so wide and almost full of fear. He couldn't help his lingering curiosity about just where a miniature version of Sephiroth had materialized from and now he couldn't help the sinking feeling in his stomach that both of them... were the same. Used cruelly under the guise of acceptance.

"Cloud..." Riku managed a couple of minutes later. "I..."

"You remind me of a man that I once knew," Cloud said. "A man driven to madness while searching for himself and the love from someone who could not give it. He never knew that he was loved."

Riku just grunted, feeling around for his blade. But both their weapons had sunk to the bottom of the strange water.

"He died," Cloud continued, "not knowing."

Riku frowned. "You loved him."

"I bear the mark of loving him," Cloud said flatly, stretching out the wing that he normally kept hidden away beneath both clothing and a simple bit of magic.

As Riku reached to touch the dark, thick skin that spanned Cloud's wing, he paused and gasped.

"You really don't know?" Riku asked as his fingers finally connected with the appendage.

"Don't know what?" Cloud questioned, shivering a bit at the contact.

"Everything," Riku said, moving to lean against Cloud. He was clutching at his arm, a little motion that didn't escape Cloud. "This all... is a trap."

"Then why are you telling me?" Cloud asked. "If you're trapping me..."

"Not you," Riku said, shaking his head. "Sephiroth."

"Seph... But..."

"A one-winged angel," Riku continued, seemingly needing to convince Cloud that he wasn't lying. "Showed up in the Underworld right about when you left. He... He's looking for you."

"No," Cloud replied, knowing that a confrontation with Sephiroth would only mean another attempt at dying. "Sephiroth would not look for me."

"Ansem wants his power to become a god," Riku said harshly, shaking his head. "I'm already in too deeply to fight him. I belong to him. I need him and want him. But you..."

"Ansem is using me as bait?" Cloud surmised, his hands tightening to fists. It was not an easy truth and he wanted to refute it. Ansem had shown him nothing but kindness, providing him with comfort and company. In Ansem's bed, he felt alive. "No. I can't believe you."

"Cloud," Riku began, only to fall silent as Cloud pushed away and stood.

"Next time, I will not fall for your lies," Cloud said as he leapt down to retrieve his own sword and go back to the castle through the sewers and lifts.

He did not see the portal opening behind Riku as thick, black hands pulled the teen into darkness. Sephiroth. Cloud shook his head. There had to be a hidden truth, yes, but Ansem was wise and kind, even if there were a few deadwomen lingering in the castle.

That night, Ansem acted no different from any other night, save being careful of new bruises and scratches that Cloud had not noticed until Ansem's mouth and fingers traced over them whilst en route to coaxing a draining orgasm from him.

Cloud couldn't bring himself to ask about Riku's outburst and admissions, despite a lingering pull even as he lay against Ansem's chest and letting his benefactor's strange heartbeat lull him into a dreamless sleep.

And the next day when he met Riku at the castle gates, the teen did not say a word, instead focusing on Cloud's instructions and movement.


End file.
